Recruiting Watch: Potential Oregon flips and commitments a day out from early signing period
We are a day away from the early signing period getting started in the world of college football, which means in the next 24 hours, a bunch of high school prospects are going to be putting pen to paper and letting it be known where they are going to start their college careers.
While there are still a number of uncommitted prospects who are likely to make their final decisions known, some of the biggest fireworks on Wednesday could end up coming from top recruits who are committed to one school, but announce they are flipping to another.
It’s flip season, and the Oregon Ducks were on the wrong end of Monday morning’s news that five-star quarterback Dante Moore was flipping his commitment to UCLA.
We expect the Ducks to sign a star-studded class on Wednesday based on the guys who are committed and locked into the program, and there’s a chance it could get even better with a couple of late additions Oregon is working hard to get.
A few days ago we laid out a number of potential candidates to flip for Oregon. Let’s take another look at that list with early signing day knocking on the door, and discuss a few of the uncommitted prospects and players in the transfer portal who could be making a decision as well.
5-star Notre Dame Safety Peyton Bowen
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9919)
National Ranking: 14
Position Ranking: 2
The Buzz: Down the stretch, it looks like the recruitment for Bowen has become more of a race between Oklahoma and Oregon than it has for Notre Dame. If you were to determine which team is in the lead to land the five-star safety at the moment, it would have to be the Sooners, who have picked up several recruiting predictions to execute the flip. That’s not to say that the Ducks are out of the running, but they definitely have some work to do if they are going to leap Oklahoma and bring the talented DB to Eugene.
5-star Texas A&M Defensive Lineman David Hicks
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9961)
National Ranking: 9
Position Ranking: 1
The Buzz: Hicks was one of the two players I felt the most confident about landing with the Ducks a few days ago. While I still think there’s a good possibility he flips to Oregon, Texas A&M is working hard to hold on to him and is doing a good job of it. Hicks visited College Station this past weekend, and it seems to have cooled the flip potential. Again, I don’t think Oregon is out of the running, and this one will likely come down to a signing day announcement, but if forced to choose at the moment, I would lean Aggies.
5-star Iowa Offensive Tackle Kadyn Proctor (Flipped to Alabama)
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9939)
National Ranking: 12
Position Ranking: 1
Update: Kadyn Proctor announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would flip to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Buzz: This is the other player I felt extremely confident about Oregon being able to flip. All signs were pointing toward Proctor committing to the Ducks thanks to his relationship with Adrian Klemm, his multiple visits to Eugene in the past couple of months and the parental support shown for Oregon. However, Proctor visited Alabama this past weekend, and now there are several predictions coming in that have the No. 1 OT in the 2023 class headed to Tuscaloosa to join Nick Saban. Like Hicks, this feels like a signing day announcement with the Ducks working hard to get back on top of the race, but it feels like the smart bet is Alabama at the moment.
5-star Edge Matayo Uiagalelei
Photo Courtesy of Dave Uiagalelei
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9851)
National Ranking: 17
Position Ranking: 2
The Buzz: Throughout the recruitment for Matayo Uiagalelei, it has felt like the Ducks are in the race for him, but never quite leading the charge. That remains the case. Oregon, Ohio State and USC are the announced final three schools. The Trojans are believed to be the front-runner. While the Ducks are still in the picture, current buzz shows that the five-star edge will likely end up in Los Angeles.
4-star Notre Dame Running Back Jayden Limar
Photo Courtesy of Jayden Limar
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9851)
National Ranking: 275
Position Ranking: 16
The Buzz: Finally a flip that I feel really good about. Almost anywhere you look, signs are pointing toward Limar flipping his commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon. He is one of the top prep players in the state of Washington, and the Ducks have been working on him constantly over the past several months, trying to get him to stay closer to home and join Carlos Locklyn in Eugene. A lot of predictions are in for Limar to flip to the Ducks before all is said and done, and I would be surprised if we didn’t see that announcement come out in the next 12-24 hours.
4-star Baylor QB Austin Novosad
247Sports Rating: 4-star (0.9465)
National Ranking: 86
Position Ranking: 9
The Buzz: This is a new addition to the list and one that has come about since the announcement that five-star QB Dante Moore flipped from Oregon to UCLA. The Ducks are now in search of another prep QB they can add to the roster this offseason, and Novosad is a heck of a contingency plan. He has a relationship with Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein from his time in Texas. Though he is committed to the Baylor Bears, there’s a feeling out there the Ducks are pushing hard to get him to Eugene.
4-star LSU Corner Back Daylen Austin
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Rating: 4-star (0.9495)
National Ranking: 109
Position Ranking: 12
The Buzz: Early beliefs were that Austin wasn’t planning to sign with a team until February, which had him down on the list of potential flips for Oregon. Recent buzz indicates he is considering making a decision this week. The LSU commit has been on a couple of visits to Eugene over the past few months and I’m told that Oregon feels good about being able to get him. Whether that’s tomorrow or in February, I think the Ducks end up pulling off the flip.
4-star Louisville Tight End Jamari Johnson
Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Rating: 4-star (0.8908)
National Ranking: 415
Position Ranking: 26
The Buzz: The Ducks are making a strong late move on Johnson, who has been committed to the Cardinals since April. Johnson made it to Eugene in October and was on campus again this past weekend. I think the Ducks capitalize on the coaching change at Louisville this offseason and pull off the flip, bringing the 6-foot-5, 250-pound athlete to Eugene.
4-star CB Caleb Presley
247Sports Rating: 4-star (0.9310)
National Ranking: 165
Position Ranking: 19
The Buzz: It hasn’t happened yet (as of 8 a.m. on Tuesday) but I think Caleb Presley could announce his flip to the Washington Huskies at any moment. After taking an official visit to Seattle earlier this month, the No. 1 player from the state of Washington has been said to strongly reconsider his options and look at staying home instead of coming down south to Eugene. While that would hurt Oregon’s recruiting class, I think the Ducks have been prepared for this outcome and lightened the blow with the addition of Alabama transfer Khyree Jackson on Sunday.
5-star QB Dante Moore (Flipped to UCLA)
247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9947)
National Ranking: 3
Position Ranking: 3
The Buzz: This flip already took place, so it moves down to the bottom of the list. Most Oregon fans saw this one coming for a few days, and with the announcement that QB Bo Nix would return for the 2023 season, it took a little bit of the sting out, knowing that the Ducks at least have some time before needing to figure out their future at the position. Still, losing a player like Dante Moore is never easy, and losing him to an in-conference team like UCLA, with former Oregon coach Chip Kelly pulling off the flip, makes it sting a little bit more.
4-star DL Ashton Porter
Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Rating: 4-star (0.9007)
National Ranking: 329
Position Ranking: 45
The Buzz: Porter was in Eugene over the weekend and looks to be leaning toward the Ducks ahead of signing day. He had a great visit and was able to get to know both the staff and the other players on the roster. At this point, all signs point toward the Ducks landing this four-star out of Texas and adding bulk to their defensive line.
3-star ATH Solomon Davis
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
247Sports Rating: 3-star (0.8811)
National Ranking: 573
Position Ranking: 36
The Buzz: While Davis took a visit to Stanford over the weekend and was said to have loved it, there are still several predictions for him to end up with the Ducks in the end, including one from 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong on Monday. Listed as an athlete but projected to play defensive back, Davis would be a great addition for the Ducks to make in the secondary this offseason.
Texas OL Junior Angilau
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Collegiate Stats: 34 Games Played
The Buzz: Angilau was on campus recently and the buzz coming from that visit is very positive so far. He is a veteran player from Texas who has a lot of experience moving around on the offensive line, showing versatility in playing multiple positions. I’m told Angilau developed good relationships with the staff in Eugene, and at this point I expect him to transfer to the Ducks.
Rhode Island OT Ajani Cornelius
Collegiate Stats: 23 Games Played (22 started)
The Buzz: Cornelius is one of the most highly-coveted players in the transfer portal, and he is down to a final four of Oregon, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Ohio State. He will announce his commitment on Wednesday. Cornelius took a visit to Eugene earlier this month and I believe the Ducks feel good about their ability to get him, but we will see ultimately where he ends up landing tomorrow.
